Jimmy Clairet converted pole position into victory at the first race of the 2025 TCR Europe series season at Portimão, holding off young charger Eric Gené, who bounced back after a first lap incident at Turn 4 which caused drama behind on the opening lap.

Clairet launched into the lead from pole in his Team Clairet Sport Audi RS 3 LMS, while alongside him, Felice Jelmini’s PMA Motorsport Audi was battling to keep back Gené’s Monlau Motorsport-run CUPRA.

Gené then had a run on Jelmini up the hill to Turn 4 where they made contact. The resulting melee caused much disruption in the pack behind, with fourth-placed Marco Butti sustaining terminal damage to the front of his Honda, with Jelmini also returning to the pit lane to retire. Behind them, Felipe Fernández also fell down the order in his RC2 Racing Team Honda.

Emerging out of the drama and gaining significantly was Gené’s team-mate Jenson Brickley, who was no up to fourth and quickly passed Viktor Andersson’s Lynk & Co to take third at Turn 5, followed by Ruben Volt, who’d made it up to fifth from 13th on the grid.

The second Team Clairet Sport Audi of Teddy Clairet soon passed Andersson, as did Ruben Volt, while the other driver to have made it through the melee and gain ground was Canadian driver Nic Taylor, who’d qualified a relatively lowly 15th position.

Taylor passed Andersson for sixth at Turn 1 on the second lap, and the race began to settle down into a rhythm. Clairet, who had a near three-second lead after one lap, was soon caught by Gené’s CUPRA, but the Frenchman was able to manage the pace to the finish to claim victory.

Brickley was briefly under pressure from Jimmy’s team-mate and brother Teddy, but the British driver was able to manage the pace and secure his first TCR Europe podium finish in his second race meeting.

Volt’s fifth place finish faded away as his car came to a stop at Turn 5 with three laps to go, promoting Taylor in his place. Nicola Baldan worked his way up to sixth, also bouncing back after a difficult qualifying session in his AIKOA Racing Audi RS 3.

Viktor Andersson was able to hold on to seventh, avoiding a daring dive from South Korea’s Junesung Park on the final lap who tried to pass both him and the rival Hyundai of Julien Briché. Briché finished eighth, with Park ninth, and the top ten was completed by TCR Europe debutant Filippo Barberi in the second AIKOA Racing Audi.

The second race of the weekend takes place at 11:50 local time tomorrow (12:50 CEST), with Target Competition’s Max Hart starting from pole position.